


Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

by Katie_Dub



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends With Benefits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 16:25:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16329503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katie_Dub/pseuds/Katie_Dub
Summary: Killian needs something hot, strong and sweet. Perhaps Emma can give it to him.





	Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> I saw [this “imagine your OTP” story](https://www.boredpanda.com/cafe-love-story-live-tweets-jerry-clayton/) a while back and honestly, couldn’t image Captain Swan being that sappy. So I wrote this instead. This is part one, part two to follow (hopefully very) soon.

“Fuck, fuck fuck!!” Killian mutters under his breath as his laptop suddenly dies, just before he sent off his work to his editor. Rage bubbles in his veins and he has to take a deep breath to calm the urge to fling his laptop across the room.

It’s been that sort of day: the milk he’d bought just the day before was already off. His supposedly clean laundry smelled a little funky from the ancient communal washing machine and so he had nothing decent to wear. He’d missed the bus by a whisker - the doors practically closing in his face as he ran up - making him late for the dentist.

And then came lunchtime when he’d seen his Milah’s ex out with a pretty young thing. The sight of that man alone was enough to stoke his ire. (To this day he was convinced that the beast had tampered with their brakes, thus causing the fatal crash that cost him his hand and, more importantly, his love.) But to see him so happy and in love when Killian still mourned for Milah? That burned. He had to leave the cafe without eating lest he punched the man when he noticed the matching rings on their fingers.

Killian had been camped out in this particular cafe ever since. He reaches for his coffee and scowls as he realises that he’s reached the bitter end. _Thank heaven for free refills_. He strides over to the counter and puts his cup down, trying to catch the eye of the lovelorn-looking barista.

He waits several minutes, nudging his cup across the counter, until he worries that he’s going to knock the cup right onto the floor. He tries clearing his throat loudly, his innate British reserve holding him back from making even more of a scene.

He’s coming around to the idea that he’s going to have to speak up when he hears a stage whisper behind him. “You’ll be waiting a long time if you don’t come out and ask.” He spins around and is greeted by a stunning blonde with derision in her emerald eyes. He quirks an eyebrow in question at her meaning. “She just told the guy working that she has a crush on him, he disappeared and she’s been like that ever since.” The woman rolls her eyes as she nods her head to the barista.

“Thanks for the tip, love.” He nods his thanks and turns back to the counter. “Any chance of a refill, lass?” The girl jumps when he speaks and blushes, moving quickly to get his coffee. He raises his cup in a gesture of “cheers” to his saviour who smiles back at him before returning to her book.

He’s staring out the window, watching the passers-by when he hears a loud sigh. He looks up to see the blonde waiting on her own refill, the barista nowhere to be seen.

“I guess there’s no more coffee for you today?”

She looks around. “He likes her too - and the ran off to do … whatever.” She rolls her eyes again. “All I wanted was a cup of coffee, could they not have waited until their shift ended?”

He smirks at her irritation. “Not a fan of young love?”

“Not a fan of horny teens who can’t keep it in their pants when they’re meant to be at work,” she snarks back.

“Careful, love, some might mistake your caffeine addiction for bitterness.” She fixes him with a deeply unimpressed look, eyebrows raised and head tilted in disdain. He holds his hand up in surrender. “I’m not one of them - I agree with you. In fact, what do you say we skip the coffee and move on to something more satisfying?”

She laughs a little, “what were you thinking of?”

“Rum. And lots of it. You look like you need a decent drink as much as I do.”

“It’s 5:30.”

“I know a place that serves their rum with a side of onion rings.”

She half smiles at the thought, but then fixes him with a hard stare. “This isn't a date, I don’t.. Do that.”

Killian grins. “Perfect, neither do I. I’m Killian Jones, by the way.”

“Emma Swan.”

“Come along then, Swan,” Killian says reaching out a hand for her that she takes with a shake of her head, that’s clearly intended to hide her smile.

They have an unexpectedly great evening. Several hours of good banter, food and rum melting away the day’s stress. And yet, Killian can’t exactly explain how they got here. They’re in the alley and she’s got her back against a wall while he drives into her hard and fast.

He’s not foolish enough to complain - even if their haste and choice of location means that clothes have been merely pushed to the side so he’s been denied the sight of her glorious body. It’s simply not how he expected the evening to end.

Emma bites down on his shoulder to muffle her scream as she shakes in ecstasy and with a final thrust he comes hard. He leans his forehead against hers while he recovers from the intense high.

“Well that was definitely more satisfying than coffee,” she pants out with a laugh.

He chuckles too, “aye.” He pulls out and moves to get rid of the condom. He grins when he sees that she hasn’t moved from her spot, eyes closed and chest heaving with a smile on her lips. He focuses on making himself decent again, looking up when he finally buckles his belt, only to see Emma already making her way out of the alley, albeit on shaky legs.

“Trying to sneak off without giving me your number, love?” he calls out after her. She stops and he sees her shoulder rise and fall with a deep sigh. She looks around with a sad smile on her face.

“Look, that was nice -”

“Nice?” he interjects with a laugh and a quirk of his brow, “I think you mean bloody fantastic.”

She sighs again although he can see the grin that she’s trying to hold back. “Ok, yes, that was fantastic. But I told you already that I don’t date.”

He chances a step closer to her, delighted when she stays put. “Who said anything about dating? That was the best sex I’ve had in a long time and I’d like a repeat. I don’t want to take you out for dinner, Swan -” Killian moves closer still and drops his voice “- although I would like to eat you for hours.”

She rolls her eyes, but he can see that they widened ever so slightly before she did, and her breath hitches. “How about I take your number, Killian? If I ever feel the need to take you up on your offer, I’ll be in touch.”

He licks his lips as she passes her phone to him. Once his details are saved, he’s tempted to call himself so he’ll have her number too. But, he complies with her wishes and passes the phone back. “Of course, Swan, you can _come_ by any time you like.”

He doesn’t expect to hear from her. So he’s delighted when he’s woken by a text just over a week later. _Cancel your plans_ , is all it says. There’s another beep a moment later, _and tell me your address_.

He grins, sure he knows the sender but wanting to tease anyway. _Why should I do that for someone who won’t even tell me their name?_ In truth, his only plans for his Sunday are maybe a little cleaning - and he’d happily engage in more enjoyable activities instead - but she doesn’t need to know that.

The next text he gets is a picture of Emma wearing nothing but silky green lingerie and a seductive grin that has him biting his lip in arousal.

It’s several hours and countless orgasms later and they are lazing naked in bed. He finally acknowledges that he needs to eat something, but is unwilling to break the mood for long. He kisses her neck up to her ear, and whispers in it. “Ready for some food, Swan? I can make grilled cheese or -”

She stiffens and flinches away from him instantly. She reaches for her clothes, muttering, “you said no dinner.”

Killian pulls her back into bed and straddles her, it takes a minute before she will look him in the eye. “Swan, this isn’t a romantic gesture. You need sustenance if you ever plan on leaving my bed. Although if you’d prefer to stay here forever, I won’t complain.”

She smirks up at him, a challenging gleam in her eye. “I guess you do need to get some energy if you’re going to keep it up for the rest of the day.”

“Oh don’t worry, I fully intend to,” is his saucy reply.

She leaves sometime in the night and Killian wakes on Monday morning alone. He would’ve liked to wake up with morning sex, although he knows this is probably for the best. He does have a job to do after all.

That Wednesday night she shows up at his door and kisses him hard before he can even say hello. She slams the door behind her and drops her coat to the floor, revealing that she had nothing on underneath. He immediately sinks to his knees, ready to worship his goddess.

And so it goes between them. She shows up at his door or texts him last minute. They fuck, they eat and as time goes by, they start to talk. It’s good - more than good - and he starts to think of them as friends, even if he knows more about how to get her off than he does her history.

It’s a Friday night and he’s in the pub with Robin and Will when he gets her latest text. _Where are you?_ He smiles, she must have shown up at his door again.

_Despite what you may think, Swan, I do have a life. I’m in the pub._ He thinks for a moment before adding, _you could come join me?_ He bites his lip, wondering if that might be crossing a line for her, hoping that it’s not. They’ve been doing this, whatever it is, for months now and his friends are curious about her.

_Which pub?_

_O’Donoghue’s, the Irish pub on the corner of my street._

_I’ll be 30 minutes._

_Aren’t you in my flat?_ He’d given her a key a while ago. She’d casually mentioned that she would’ve liked to have been waiting for him when he had got home from work and he had a spare key cut for her the next day.

She sends him a selfie, it’s angled to show mostly her face, but he can clearly see that she’s naked. _I’m not sure I can go out like this… give me 5 minutes._

“What are you grinning at like an idiot?” Will cuts in, trying to peer over his shoulder at his phone. Killian quickly locks it and shoves it in his pocket.

“Emma’s coming to join us.”

“Your fuck buddy?”

Killian can’t help the growl that escapes him at that. Technically, it’s what they are, but he doesn’t like the thought of anyone talking about her in such terms. “Don’t call her that.”

“She’s your friend, and you fuck, isn’t that what a fuck buddy is?”

“Just… don’t, alright? Be nice.”

She strolls in just as he takes a gulp of his beer and it’s a struggle not to spit it out in shock. The vixen was wearing one of his plaid shirts that she’d belted at the waist. It’s unbuttoned low enough that he can see she hadn’t bothered to put a bra on. The shirt falls low enough down her thigh to be decent, but high enough to send his thoughts to sinful places and to make his cock twitch.

She looks around then waves when she sees him, and makes her way over. She kisses Killian on the cheek and slides into the booth beside him. “Hi Killian, who are your friends?” It takes him a moment to remember how to speak. “Will and Robin” he says eventually, gesturing at each in turn.

Thus starts one of the best nights of his life - including those he had spent making the goddess beside him scream. She just fits in so well with his friends, taunting Will as though she’d known him forever, challenging them all to drinking games and generally making everything fun.

She’s kicking Will’s ass at darts when Robin says, “Emma’s really great, Killian, I’m happy for you.”

“It’s - it’s not like that -” he sputters out.

“I think you’ll find it is. I’ve not seen you in such a good mood since Milah.” Killian goes to protest this statement but Robin stops him with a wave of his hand. “I know how you feel, mate. I felt the same when I met Regina. And do you remember what you told me then? ‘Marian would want you to be happy’ and the same is true for you and Milah. And you know what else?” He leans forward then, conspiratorially. “Milah would bloody love her.”

Just then Emma reappears, a gleam in her eyes as she announces, “Robin, can you play with Will? He’s being a sore loser.”

Robin laughs at that. “Of course,” he pats Killian on the shoulder as he stands up. “Just think about it.”

“Think about what?” Emma asks, snuggling into Killian, and stealing a sip of his rum. He smiles to himself. _Robin’s right about one thing,_ he thinks, _Milah would love her._

He shakes off the thought. “Nothing, love.” He turns to Emma with a seductive grin and murmurs into her ear. “Although I have a bone to pick with you. It’s not right to show up in a man’s shirt and expect to get away with it. I should spank you.” He nips at her earlobe then sucks on the spot just below her ear.

Emma gasps, “I wanted to be naked. You’re the one who insisted that I put on clothes and come here.”

“I could make you come here.” He strokes her thigh, teasing just below the hem of the shirt. “Or perhaps you should help me out. I’ve been half hard since you got here and it would be fitting payment for the shirt.” He moves her hand to his crotch, letting her feel his arousal.

“Are you sure you want that, Killian?” She rubs her hand over him. “You want me to make you spill in your pants where your _mates_ can see? Or would you prefer it if I got to my knees right here?” His eyes bulged at the thought and she grinned at the sight. “Shhhh,” she whispers, sliding under the table, “you’ll have to be quiet if you don’t want to get caught.”

Killian can’t speak, too entranced by what’s happening to make a sound. Her mouth is like heaven and he cannot figure out what he got right in life that he gets to have her like this. _“Bloody hell,”_ he breathes out as he gets closer and there’s just one thought in his mind: _How did I get this lucky?_

It’s a struggle not to scream when he reaches his peak but he manages to merely groan softly. When she re-emerges, her lips are red and swollen and he grabs her. “God, Emma, I-” _love you_ his mind fills in the blank. He kisses her forcefully to avoid letting the words come out of his mouth.

“Yes, Killian?”

“I need you naked right now. Let’s go home.”

It’s much later, as she’s curled around him in his bed that he thinks back to what Robin said, to what he nearly said. He’s fallen in love with this woman and that’s definitely against the rules. He lies there feeling the softness of her skin against his and for the life of him, he cannot figure out what to do.

Sometime around 5am Killian has an epiphany. He has to take a step back. He's honestly not sure what he wants - falling in love again is something he never expected or wanted. When he told Emma he didn't date, he meant it. A new relationship feels like a betrayal of everything that Milah meant to him. And he can't exactly make some grand declaration of love when he's so unsure of what he wants it to mean.

But he does know one thing: he can't fuck Emma when part of him aches to make love to her.

In his dream he and Emma have skipped past the awkwardness and straight back into each other's arms. She kisses along his neck and gently strokes up and down his thigh, teasing him with a delicate touch until he groans and shifts his hips closer to her wandering hands needing her to move just -

It takes him a minute to realise that he isn't dreaming. This is Emma's idea of a wake up call and, fuck, he has to ask her to stop. Right now.

“No!” he gasps out, his eyes flying open. He clenches his muscles so he doesn't reach out for her and pull her towards him.

She jumps back. “Oh, I'm - I'm sorry Killian. I thought you always said ‘morning sex was the best wake up call’.” He knows she's trying to sound flippant, but her voice sounds small. When Killian glances at her out of the corner of his eye, he can see how she bites her bottom lip with a small frown crumpling her perfect brow.

“Not when you have a hangover that would make Hades himself weep.” It's not exactly a lie - he really does feel like shit - even if the rum is only partially to blame.

“Well in that case -” there's a mischievous sparkle in Emma's voice as she leans in to murmur in his ear “- maybe I can provide some distraction from your pain. Just lie there and let me kiss it better.”

_Bloody hell. She's trying to kill me._

As soon as the thought crosses his mind, she moves to straddle him. He groans and she gives him a saucy grin, apparently mistaking his distress at what he's about to do for pleasure. He sits up, which shifts them closer together in a way he'd usually love. He gently wraps his hands around her waist and lifts her off him.

“I'm sorry, Swan, not right now.”

For the briefest moment he can see the hurt in her eyes, but she buries it behind a blank expression. “Fine.”

She stands up from the bed and strides to the door with her head held high in a near perfect impression of nonchalance. When she reaches the door the perfect mask slips and she slumps forward. It could be comical to see this naked beauty slouching like a teenager, if he didn't know that she was thoroughly broken.

_And it's all my fault._

“Did I do something wrong last night?” she whispers and he almost doesn't hear it. Before he can say a word she continues, “because you asked me to come out with you. I didn't ask for more. I just - I don't know what you want anymore.”

“I don't either.”

Emma turns around to look at him quizzically, chewing on her bottom lip in distress. Killian feels his heart beat a little faster at the sight. He didn't think it was possible for him to feel like even more of a prick, but he is sure he's sunk to a new low. He grabs a shirt from his drawer and walks over to gently wrap it around Emma. She gazes at him wide eyed as he gently buttons up the shirt, using the distraction to gather his thoughts.

“Here's what I do know, Emma, you're one of my best friends -” Emma opens her mouth but he barrels on, scared of what her interruption might be “- I don't want to lose you.”

“Why would you? What happened last night? I know this isn't just about a hangover, Killian. Do - do Will and Robin not like me?’

Killian chuckles darkly, remembering Robin's words to him. “Nothing like that love, this isn't about last night.” He takes a deep breath and looks Emma in the eye. She needs his honesty, she always knows when he's lying to her and he can't hurt her any more than he already has. “It's about what last night showed me. I never thought I'd be capable of moving on from my first love - from my Milah - that is, until I met you.”

Emma's mouth drops open almost comically. “I don't date.. I'm - I'm not good at all this,” she stammers out. “I - I don't know if I can give you more.”

“I don't know if I want it, Emma. I told you that I don't date as well, and I really meant it.” He drags his hand through his hair and looks at her. Her face is a picture of uncertainty and he wishes he could make that pain go away, but he is sure he's only going to make it worse. “I think I - I just need some space.”

He’s thinks he sees her face crumple, her expression completely crushed, but he blinks and she looks detached. He wonders if he just imagined it - if it was his own desperate need to see a visible sign that she cares as much as he does. “Fine,” she says with a shrug, “it’s been fun.”

“You know I’m still here if you need me, right?” he says it sincerely, but she looks uncomfortable. “Just … not for orgasms. Unless you want me buy you a vibrator to keep you company?” He wiggles his eyebrows at her in an attempt to make her laugh.

She chuckles in spite of herself before rolling her eyes at him. “Please, I can manage just fine on my own.” He bites his lip to stop the obvious innuendo from spilling out. “Besides, you’re not the only man in the city.”

He sees an image of her wrapped up in the arms of another man, crying out with the pleasure that he brought her. The thought makes him twitch, aching to reach out to her, but petty jealousy isn't a good enough reason to push them into something they aren't ready for.

There’s an awkward silence as neither one can quite think of the right words to say.

“I guess I’ll see you around then, Killian.”

“Yes, you will.” Killian tries to convey how sincerely he doesn’t want to lose her. But as she turns and steps out the door, he can’t help but feel like he already has.

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang out on tumblr [@katie-dub](https://katie-dub.tumblr.com/)


End file.
